AbstractIdiopathic environmental intolerances, such as 'multiple chemical sensitivity' and 'electrosensitivity,' can drastically affect the quality of life of those affected. A proportion of severely affected patients remove themselves from modern society, to live in isolation away from the purported causal agent of their ill health. This is not a new phenomenon; reports of hermits extend back to the 3(rd) century AD. We conducted a literature review of case reports relating to ancient hermits and modern day reclusion resulting from idiopathic environmental intolerance, in order to explore whether there are similarities between these two groups and whether the symptoms of these 'illnesses of modernity' are simply a present-day way of reaching the end-point of reclusion. Whilst there were some differences between the cases, recurring themes in ancient and modern cases included: dissatisfaction with society, a compulsion to flee, reports of a constant struggle and a feeling of fighting against the establishment. The similarities which exist between the modern-day cases and the historical hermits may provide some insight into the extreme behaviours exhibited by this population. The desire to retreat from society in order to escape from harm has existed for many centuries, but in different guises

There is simply nothing he will not stoop to; I don't think it's too much to say he already has blood on his hands from his involvement in discrediting both M.E. and Gulf War Syndrome to the extent that sufferers lost their lives or decided to end them because of policies he influenced, made by both UK and US governments, over the past 30 years. He is the political and military go-to man for covering up and denying illness on a mass scale.

Attempting to brand anyone being made sick by this blanket microwave radiation as wannabe hermits displaying extreme behavioural symptoms is downright evil. None of us have had designs on being forced to leave our jobs, our homes, buy protection and stay away from places and people that we don't want to be away from. None of us want to be slowly killed by this crap as we sit and sleep in our properties, while military-strength technology pumps out EMRs mere yards from where we are.

Our homes are not even safe anymore, and yet this piece of work thinks we want to run away into caves because we don't like modern life. It's a ridiculous theory that does not even deserve to be given the time of day, let alone indulged and published as a serious study.

Hi everyone, I am an avid reader including historical facts but I never heard of ancient hermits feeling the need to take cover from wi-fi or satellite dishes. If these idiotic, nonsensical, egotistical, pea brained reptiles feel the need to differentiate between the ancient hermits and modern day cases, they should first separate from those who feel the need to be on their own (nothing wrong with that !) and those who are forced to become hermit-like because of radiation contamination which creates debilitating health problems. Being forced to do something and choosing to do something is so very different even whenthe end result is the same. Psychology is so wasted on these no brain reptiles.

They're doing their job, though - which is not pyschology, of course, it's creating excuses for the effects of EMR on society and making labels for the victims so that the system can ostracise them. That makes them very valuable to the people in charge.

It's their only purpose in life, to fabricate reasons for the breakdown in human behaviour and well-being caused by saturating our world in EMR, so that governments and health services can avoid footing the bill, and avoid responsibility. There is no research involved at all.

They all knew:!1973 WHO Symposium on microwaves And so did Simon Wesseley, his wife, Rubin, the then NRPB and the now HPA!So, the question is: Who´s Interests are thy protecting? (read who pays them?)The Telecommunications Industry?The Insurance Industry?NO-ONE Prostitutes themselves like this for FREE!!

Eric and Henrik.Wesseley gets paid for "Advising the HPA, Government etc. and he uses his wife Clare Gerada´s position to promote his fundamentalist views to the NHS and our GP´s. And never forget that their big cash comes from the Insurance Industry, who know full well that if EHS gets a reconnised as an "Environmental caused sickness" the sh.. will hit the fan, full blow!So yes, like Repacholi, Wesseley is busy protecting his income, and that is all he has on his mind, US, come off, he could not care less!

My mind wanders back to the old book I read years ago, (cant even remember the name of it) where the earth had been contaminated by bugs, and everyone was to be evacuated to a different planet, and so they were? and the firts folks they sent off were, surprise, surprise, hairdressers and physkos!The rest hurried after to join them, or did they now?Best regards.Agnes

I have just read the Wesseley and Rubin article in the MV "News" column, and suddenly everything that has haunted me for the last 10 years falls nicely into place.

When in 2003, during a business trip, I received a sobbing phone call from my wife (your host, by the way) that the telecommunications mast induced headache from the pub´s roof mast next door to our dwelling cum office was driving her mad and making her sick, then my decision to get the hell out of there was not made in order to protect her from harm and discomfort, but to satisfy my inner "Hermit" and yearning for reclusion from modern day comforts.

I now understand why I abandoned our quite elegant dwelling and offices near the town center, a few paces away from the pub and a cool pint, for a derelict, cold WW2 former army hospital building in a field in the "sticks".

I also understand the bizarre decision, to spend Christmas and New Year perched on an office chair in the unheated warehouse/office, instead of spending time with our family in our warm town house, was not sickness and headache but a desire to take refuge from modernity and become a 21. century hermit!

They are comparing the ancient hermits/saints with the modern refugees by quoting contemporary descriptions and own declarations. In the case of the saints they do not question them, in the case of EHS and MCS they doubt and do not take the self-descriptions and declarations seriously - they are interpreting them ... that may be helpful in a psychotherapy ( to give a better understanding of himself to the patient, and, in the therapeutic dialogue the patient may refuse it). However it is not allowed (scientifically) to speculate/ to bring some fantasies about the motivation of "modern hermits" without any proof. You cannot prove them neither disprove. Instead of fantasies they should have investigated the literature on MCS etc."

This is True, very True!

Nor are we unsocial people. Many of us use a landline phone, if we are able to do so, or maintain contact with the outside by writing letters to EHS penpals in theUK or abroad; , some of us, like me using a fountain pen or biro and paper; others by email. Or where possible by chatting over a cuppa - remember that, personal contact in the days before i-Phones became so widespread,and children and people talked face to face?

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""ABSTRACTMore than 2000 references on the biological responses to radiofrequency and microwave radiation, published up to June 1971, areincluded in the bibliography.* Particular attention has been paid tothe effects on man of non-ionizing radiation at these frequencies.The citations are arranged alphabetically by author, and contain asmuch information as possible so as to assure effective retrieval ofthe original documents. An outline of the effects whicb have beenattributed to radio frequency and microwave radiation is also part ofthe report.

I did see the Wessely piece in the Guardian, and found the composition very clever, inevitably ending in "Its all in your mind" mantra.

Today I clicked onto the link left by EG and read the comments.

It struck me how similar these electrosensitivity comments are.

"Microwave ovens" Tin foil hat brigade" Mad people" etc. etc. not really linking to the article but just repeating the same insults towards the people who are affected by Microwave Radiation Pollution.

I suspect there is a "Rent a Scribe" agency at work here, every time the subject is raised.

But what struck me was Wessly's claim that all symptoms got mixed up when double blind tests were performed involving radiation and sensitivities.

Immediately I thought about the most dramatic "Blind Test" I have encountered.

Readers of this web-site will know that one of the contributors claims that her headache and illness started when the adjacent mast antenna was switched on, 28 meters away.

Shortly after (a few weeks) it was shut down for repairs and the headache disappeared, to return when the system was switched on again an hour later.

The equipment site was hidden from view, there was no way activity at the site could be observed from our property.

I recorded the time of the headache switch off and on again.Later, when taking the operator to court my findings were confirmed from the operating journals which of course recorded the shut down.

I thought that would be a case winner, but no!My solicitor did not pick up on the significance of the observation, my barrister barely touched the subject, and the High Court Judge issued me with a verdict that it was all in my wife's mind, despite her pinpointing the exact time, and that I am capable of seeing through 2 sets of brick walls from my office window, to observe action hidden from direct view.

The idea that Microwave Radiation sickness is a psychological problem has very successfully been introduced into the discussion, and it is wheeled out again and again in the UK.Even resulting in illogical judgements as described above.

Actions contravening this mantra in other countries, go mostly unnoticed by the UK.

This short speech (link below) throws some light on Who and Why the "comments" to published articles are worded like they are.As Erik points out the comments are not contributed by the public reader, but by Industry and Special Interest paid "Schribes"

In this eye-opening talk, veteran investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson shows how astroturf, or fake grassroots movements funded by political, corporate, or other special interests very effectively manipulate and distort media messages.

Oh yes, it's completely orchestrated. Every time an article like this appears online, the exact same ridiculous pro-industry comments will appear. It's been going on for years, to the point where I even stop looking or caring anymore.

The main thing about Rubin is that he doesn't seem to be just dispassionatly studying EMF exposure and symptoms, but is actively trying to steer the debate away from electromagnetic fields as the cause.

I came across a response Rubin sent to Tetrawatch in 2004 where he commented on Tetrawatch's criticism of one of his studies and explains how he saw the difficulties of studying people with symptoms of EMF. Rubin raised some valid points and this early letter seems sincere... but here's the thing: when it was later pointed out that the mobile-phone Rubin used for testing was emitting microwaves both under exposure and sham conditions, Rubin should have pulled that study from publication because it was immediately rubbished by the discovery of its flawed exposure set up.

No sincere action like that happened. The study is still in the literature.

One particular and strange paper from Rubin analyses newspaper articles about people reporting symptoms from electromagnetic field exposure. One of the points presented is that the media coverage is of poor quality. Fair enough; many complain about the Daily Mail but few go as far as to write about it in a scientific journal - and that would just have been an interesting footnote on the subject if Rubin hadn't suddenly leapt to a completely unjustified conclusion in the abstract:

"The widespread poor reporting we identified is disappointing and has the potential for to encourage more people to misattribute their symptoms to electromagnetic fields. Scientists should remain engaged with the media to counteract this effect"

Say what? Where's the hard scientific justification for that claim?

Here's the real crime in all this: Rubin is effectively using scientific journals and media to influence Public Policy by mixing risk-management (politics) with his risk-analysis (science). Two aspects that should be kept completely separate.

Add to this that Rubin himself was interviewed for many of the newspaper articles his own study presents as evidence for peoples potential misattribution of symptoms to EMF and in the same paper he calls on other scientists to participate in "counteracting" the apparent misunderstanding of his message. Wow. Incredible!!A large part of the references cited in the paper are also Rubin's own work.

So Rubin is effectively reviewing himself.

The conclusion part of the paper itself does not mention the claim from the abstract, but simply states that media reporting on the subject could be improved. Fair enough. But we all know too well that journalists hardly ever read past the abstract of a study. Tell journalists that their reporting is "poor" and they're possibly even less likely to read more about it.

PS: Remember to have a look at the "Competing interests" section of the paper.

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